We finally have the NFL Week 17 schedule. I was expecting to have it by halftime of the San Francisco-Washington game, but it did not come until a few minutes before 11 p.m. ET.
As Week 16’s games were decided and the playoff implications for next week were being hashed out, it was becoming clear that Fox and NBC were going to slug it out for Dallas-Washington, the game to decide to the NFC East Division Champion, winner to the playoffs, loser goes home.
Last year, NBC got Dallas-New York Giants and actually got both division games as a result. Fox wasn’t happy and it put up a very big fight for Dallas-Washington, but will get Green Bay-Minnesota instead and that will be its showcase game at 4:25 p.m. ET.
CBS will air Miami at New England at 4:25 p.m. and that will decide the final AFC playoff seeding. And it means that the Giants and Jets will play at the same time at 1 p.m. The NFL tries not to split the New York audience like that, but it has happened before.
Overall, we have six games in the 4:25 p.m. windows. Remember in Week 17, both CBS and Fox have national doubleheaders.
Here’s the official press release from the National Football League.
WEEK 17 FLEX SCHEDULING:
COWBOYS-REDSKINS TO BE NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL GAME ON DEC. 30;
DOLPHINS-PATRIOTS MOVES TO 4:25 PM ET ON CBS;
PACKERS-VIKINGS TO 4:25 PM ET ON FOXThe Week 17 Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins game on Sunday, December 30 will be played at 8:20 PM ET on NBC, the Miami Dolphins at New England Patriots game will move to 4:25 PM ET on CBS and the Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings game will move to 4:25 PM ET on FOX, the NFL announced today.
Most markets will see four Sunday afternoon games (two on CBS and two on FOX) plus the NBC Sunday night game with the NFL’s Week 17 double doubleheader schedule, which was introduced in 2006.
Following is the Week 17 NFL schedule (asterisk and bold/italics represents changed game time):
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 30 (WEEK 17)
TAMPA BAY AT ATLANTA
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
N.Y. JETS AT BUFFALO
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
BALTIMORE AT CINCINNATI
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
CHICAGO AT DETROIT
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
HOUSTON AT INDIANAPOLIS
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
CAROLINA AT NEW ORLEANS
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
PHILADELPHIA AT N.Y. GIANTS
1:00 PM (ET)
FOX
CLEVELAND AT PITTSBURGH
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
JACKSONVILLE AT TENNESSEE
1:00 PM (ET)
CBS
KANSAS CITY AT DENVER
4:25 PM (ET)
CBS
GREEN BAY AT MINNESOTA*
4:25 PM (ET)
FOX
MIAMI AT NEW ENGLAND*
4:25 PM (ET)
CBS
OAKLAND AT SAN DIEGO
4:25 PM (ET)
CBS
ARIZONA AT SAN FRANCISCO
4:25 PM (ET)
FOX
ST. LOUIS AT SEATTLE
4:25 PM (ET)
FOX
DALLAS AT WASHINGTON*
8:20 PM (ET)
NBC
And we’re done here.
